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Abstract
Avian Influenza (H5N1) is becoming one of the serious public health threats in Egypt. It was confirmed in Egypt in February 2006. Since then, the virus has spread in 21 governorates. As of December 2007, 43 human cases have been confirmed, including 19 deaths. Almost all of the currently recorded human cases of avian influenza H5N1 have reported close contact with diseased poultry. The current study provides information on Avian Influenza related knowledge, attitudes, and practices of backyard poultry breeders in rural areas of Fayoum governorate as they relate to the disease itself, modes of transmission among poultry, humans, and ways of prevention and reporting. One hundred and fifty housewives from El Gendy and Manshat Abdullah villages were interviewed. The study showed study subjects had an overall acceptable knowledge about the disease and their main source of information was through the mass media and to a lesser extent through social change agents. Attitudes toward AI risk also appeared to be appropriate, the mean attitude score for the studied group toward risk of avian influenza was 8.7±1.81 out of total score 11. Despite high awareness and widespread knowledge about AI and personal protection measures, most participants often practice different at-risk poultry practices during breeding, handling, slaughtering and buying of poultry. This points to the dissociation found between what is known and what is practiced i.e. knowledge does not translate into good practices. This concludes that high awareness does not necessarily lead to sound behavior. Behavior change should involve comprehensive and multidisciplinary intervention, which combines risk perception communication and feasible and practical recommendations, including economic considerations.
Key words:
Avian Influenza, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, Pandemic, Domestic Poultry, Wild birds, Outbreaks